Home (Oneshot)
by Miss Quiet Writer
Summary: Levy, a writer living in the city, faints into the arms of a mysterious stranger. Just a slightly plotless drabble.


**A/N: My cousin-slash-personal cheerleader pushed me to do something, so I typed up this little drabble. Thanks cuz, and happy birthday!**

 **Also, this will be my last upload to FFN. After this, I will be moving to ao3 and writing other content on there. As I'm writing this, I don't know what my username on the site will be, but I'll put it in my bio and the second author's note at the bottom once I know. I've kind of fallen out of the Fairy Tail fandom and neglecting my fics here (Dress Code will remain unfinished, I'm sorry) so I'm going to write other content for different fandoms on a different site.**

Levy felt exhausted. The bright morning sun filtered through her blinds, leaving bright pools of light on her workspace.

Levy fought to stay awake. Writing her latest piece kept her up all last night, not to mention her editor expected a draft by tomorrow. Usually it was easier for Levy to think on paper but her eyes fluttered shut every time she tried to pick up a pen. She even tried straight typing but her world went dark for minutes at a time, making her loose precious time. Her rough draft was so close to being finished, but how to wrap her vision up was eluding her. The idea was just out of her grasp, flitting out of her head when she tried to concentrate. The lack of sleep and the unfinished draft were making her crazy. After spending the midnight hours in her small apartment, the space felt cramped rather than cozy. The place had never really felt like home, more like a temporary living space to stash her junk.

She had no coffee left in her apartment, and with good reason. The last time she tried writing with caffeine in her system, she tried to a story with a character that turned different colors according to their mood. It was shot down immediately by her editor and looking back at it, Levy was glad.

But right now she was tired. Her movements felt sluggish and her body started to shut down of its own accord. Sleep… her body needed sleep, but another part of her screamed her deadline at her. If she slept now, she would definitely lose the entire day. So Levy willed herself to keep her eyes open.

Since sitting in her office was doing nothing to keep her awake, Levy deciding to take a walk. She figured exercising would keep her sane and maybe wake her up enough to write some more. Besides, a little walking never hurt anyone. Levy grabbed her coat and headed out the door.

The crisp spring air bit through her clothes; her shoes padded softly on the pavement. People bustled along the streets, workers heading to office jobs and students in uniform heading to school. Small buses puttered by and people opened their windows to let the new day in. Levy breathed in deeply, taking it all in. She strode to the neighborhood park, a tiny greenspace in the city.

The park had plenty of native plants and Levy bent down to admire a blooming flower sprinkled with dew. Then, her world went black.

Someone was shaking her. They were speaking to her, but their voice grated at her ears. Couldn't they be quiet? Couldn't they see she was trying to sleep? Why was her bed so… wet?

Gasping, she sat up, hitting her head on something. She heard a muffled curse. Opening her eyes, she saw she was on the grass, moisture seeping into her pants. There was someone clutching their face beside her. Levy scrambled up, taking in his (her?) long black hair and sturdy physique. They turned around, and she took in the man's undoubtedly masculine features. He had multiple studs in his nose, lip and eyebrow ridge and red eyes. Even though he had long hair, it gave him a wild, bad boy look.

"Hey… are you okay?" she cautioned. He had one hand to his forehead, still muttering profanities.

"Tch, yeah. I could ask the same of you. You collapsed in the grass."

"Right. Thanks for, uh, helping me." Levy gave him a sheepish grin. "How long was I out?"

"Only few seconds." He dusted blades of grass from his knees. "You aren't sick or anything, are you? 'Cuz there's a hospital near here if you need it."

"Oh no, I'm fine. I've just had a busy week." He cocked a metal eyebrow at her. "I was just walking around when I guess I fainted."

"You guess?" he looked unconvinced. He had nice features, Levy decided. And his eyes were a mysterious shade of red. Even though they were in the city, he had to be wearing contacts or something. "When was the last time you ate? You diabetic or something?"

"Huh?" she shook out of her contemplation. "Yesterday morning, and no. Are you my mother or something? Anyways, I'm fine now. Seriously."

He shrugged. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't overdo it."

She smiled. "Thanks, again."

With a silent wave, he headed down the road. Levy watched his back. Maybe she should buy some snacks while she was out here.

It had been a week since the run-in with the strange man and Levy couldn't stop thinking about him. She wanted to write a character like him, mold him and spin a web of words around him. It wasn't just creative passion- he intrigued her. With the metal in his skin, the incredibly long hair and mysterious demeanor, he seemed like a character from an anime. And given the way he dressed, it seemed like he wouldn't stop and help a fallen girl. Why her? She was mystified by it all, so she went out on a walk. It was a good way to let her mind wander.

It didn't stop her from thinking about him. She fantasized they would run into each other again, or she would catch a glimpse of him from a moving bus. It was silly but she still had a strange hope.

Although the weather was getting warmer, cold gusts of air still bit at Levy's face. It wasn't long before the cold seeped into her skin, making her regret the decision to wear only a light sweater.

She'd never seen the café before, but then again, she never really went outside. She was a real reclusive writer, she chuckled to herself. It was the perfect place to warm up, and Levy fell in love with the space as soon as she stepped inside.

The shop was very cozy, with cushy armchairs and soft lighting. Strings of lights were draped everywhere and people chattered quietly while sipping their drinks. After glancing at the menu, she reached for her wallet when she bumped into the person in front of her.

"Ah, sorr-" she started, but stopped when she caught sight of his face. "You!"

His mouth fell open a little. "You're that girl from yesterday."

"What a coincidence." Levy covered her mouth to stop herself from giggling. She felt like she was in a scene from a bad fanfiction. Removing her hand, she said, "What are you getting? I'll pay."

"I can pay for my own coffee."

She slapped her card on the counter bit more forcefully than she intended. "It's the least I can do to thank you for helping me yesterday. I'm Levy, by the way."

The man scoffed, but tilted his head to the ceiling in defeat. "Gajeel. Nice to meet ya." They shook.

"Nice to meet you too, Gajeel." The cashier looked at them expectantly. "Oh, right. What do you want?"

"Venti Americano, one cream." He shook his head. "You really don't take no for an answer, do you."

Levy smiled. "A tall mocha too, please. And no, I really don't."

They sat down at a pair of armchairs as they waited for the barista to make their drinks. "What job is so extreme that you faint in the middle of the street?"

Levy laughed, "It's not what you think it is."

"Then what is it?" he grabbed their drinks. "Were you escaping from a kidnapper after days of solitude?"

"Close, but no."

"Only an escapee would wear that paper sweater on a day like this."

"Oh, come on, it's not that-" she was cut off by a gust of wind let in by the latest customer.

"Tch, you're going to catch a cold." Levy looked up, and he was draping his incredibly large (and warm) bomber jacket around her shoulders. They both looked out the window to the street, lapsing into a comfortable silence.

"I write, by the way."

"What do you write?"

"Whatever I find interesting, I guess. My last book was a typical spy plot with only female characters."

"How does writing about female spies lead to me finding you fainted in the grass?"

"Ah… I hadn't eaten or slept in two days." Levy gave him a sheepish grin.

"What the hell?"

They talked for a while longer and soon they agreed to meet back at the coffee shop the next day.

Levy enjoyed meeting Gajeel. He wasn't as flamboyant as some of her other friends and she felt she could talk to him without feeling awkward. Despite his scary jewelry and bad boy demeanor, he seemed nice.

With him, she felt safe. And soon enough, they were dating.

It was a scary and thrilling thing, but when they kissed, Levy knew she was home.

 **A/N: idk this seemed kind of rushed**

 **Annyways, I have officially created an account on ao3 (archive of our own). My name is quietly_creative, so I hope you guys can find me there.**

 **Signing off,**

 **Miss Quiet Writer**


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